Nexus

Saturday

I'm sitting here wondering where the day went. It was a fun day - I moved from one activity to the next. We had a great early morning run - the trails has a nice snow covering so they were not slippery today. This was great since it meant we could use the trail system rather than running on the road. The highlight I think was stopping to watch the ducks in a creek we passed by - all the bushes, trees and shrubs had a fine coating of frost and with a sunny background this was a great scene to watch. Then I was off downtown to a hair appointment - I am close to brunette again and liking the change. Some of the blond streaks remain - just enough. I did a bit of shopping - great sales on right now. I picked up a few things - a gorgeous turquoise sweater, a great belt and a nice black blazer. The blazer is a wonderful designer and about 70% off - how could I resist?

I debated staying downtown to meet a friend for dinner and a movie and in the end we just met back at my place for a nice bottle of Yellowtail. In the meantime I got a call from another friend - we saw it coming, but he told me his wife just left him tonight. Even though he was expecting this and in fact wanted out himself, it is going to be a rought time for him. I have to wonder some times if anyone actually manages to have a happy marriage or even a happy relationship these days. It doesn't seem to deter us from trying though and getting our hearts broken over and over again.

Lastly, I ran around and got my ski stuff all gathered up ... another day of skiing planned for tomorrow. My muscles are aching from the gym last night so I'm hoping that will pass by tomorrow. The temperature is forecasted to be warm (-3C) and sunny. Should be a perfect day.

Strange Addiction

I just heard our IT support guy tell someone on the phone not to call him if anything goes wrong between 8 pm and 9 pm. He cannot be disturbed while 'The Apprentice' is on.

Million Dollar Baby Muscles

There was a really interesting article in The Globe & Mail on the weekend - an interview with the trainer responsible for Hilary Swank's muscles in the movie Million Dollar Baby. I can't remember the name of the trainer (just that he is a Canadian boxing trainer from Vancouver) The interesting part was that he had Hilary put on 20 pounds of muscle - can't remember how long it took - it was something like 6 months. He made her wake up in the middle of the night for a protein shake saying that to have that level of development she needed to eat every 3 (or 4?) hours. At the end of filming they asked her if she liked the old or new physique - she preferred the old and has already lost 13 pounds of it. The trainer said it would have been very difficult to maintain that level of muscle in any case without really working at it.

It just makes you realize - any fitness goal is a life long quest isn't it? You can never rest on your laurels. Every now and again during a workout when I am bored, I get depressed and think - I always have to do this. There isn't an end. The only way I have found to get around this is to keep changing it all up to keep it interesting. One of the reasons why it is good to have seasons ... that does necessiate some variety.

Awesome Day

I took a vacation day today and spent it cross country skiing. It was just awesome - the conditions are perfect right now. Cold, but it was certainly tolerable. The snow was like velvet - you just glide along. Very forgiving as well - these are perfect conditions for pushing yourself.

After planning to buy new skis for a few years now, I finally did that today. Since I got them at the resort, they were ready with bindings installed by the time I had changed into my ski boots. I had originally bought skis that would slow me down a bit - I did this on purpose since I was learning and didn't want to pick up too much speed on the hills. I've been finding these skis too limiting and wanted something with a lot more glide. The new ones were wonderful to try today and I just had a blast on the hills. I bought some of the new short, light skis.

It was an amazing day - blue sky and sunny. Lots and lots of snow. One of the climbs at Hardwood is named 'Stairway to Heaven' and the top of the hill is called 'Heaven'. It truly was. I had to just stop there for a bit and catch my breath.

So I'm home now, grateful to live in this part of the world. Happy that my muscles are tired and aching. Enjoying warming my feet up on the cats.

Iced Coffee and Ginger Tea

I had both of these today - discovered a great way to make iced coffee - although it does take several hours.

Great Iced Coffee

- make or buy a cup of hot coffee, just they way you like it, add some fancy hazelnut flavoured cream if you have it
- Drink some of it hot while driving to the cross country ski resort
- Leave the rest of it in the cup and leave the cup in the cup holder of your car while you spend the day skiing
- you will have great iced coffee to drink while driving home
Of course you have to live in a northern climate and it has to be winter for this recipe to work. I was surprised it hadn't frozen and amazed at how good it was.

Thermos Ginger Tea

- Add handful of ginger and some honey to a thermos (metal is best)
- Fill with boiling water and cap
- Leave in your ski bag for several hours and have with your lunch
This is warming and wonderful.

Nuitrition Data

I found this really great website called 'Nuitrition Data' - it is fun and useful. Lots of stuff there, but I've only used a couple of tools so far. I calculated how many calories I can metabolize in a day. Then I used the 'pantry' feature to determine the values of the food I consumed in a day. That was an eye opener. What I liked - it gave me calories, the break down between carbs, protein and fat. It also gave an analysis of vitamins and minerals. Another interesting feature was an assessment of how the daily fare stacked up in terms of what I did right and what was not so good .... for example, for the day I entered, it told me my diet was low in cholesterol but had too much sugar. I did some research on sugars .... lot of healthy foods are high in sugar - fruits and many veggies as well. This was quite a good learning experience for me - what I'd expect from a dietician. And all this from a free website. Good find.

Also - tons of info on nuitrition and weight loss - lots of links to click on and articles to read.

Some Recent Food Discoveries

My quest to lose the 6 pounds I've been whining about for once and for all has led me to try the following ....

- low fat ricotta cheese as a spread on English Muffins (whole wheat English Muffins - also a new discovery) This was not bad at all .... I've tried adding both fruit and almond butter, of all things, to the ricotta. It seems to be good with all.
- Plain non-fat yogurt with raw, sliced almonds and unsweetened, canned peaches. Also very good.

One thing that I haven't tried yet, but plan to soon .... a smoothie made from cooked oatmeal (instant, unflavoured), skim (soya) milk, protein powder, ground flax seed, fruit (could be banana or berries) Interesting idea to use the oatmeal to thicken the smoothie - I can imagine that this would be very filling. 'The Abs Diet' has many variations on this recipe - some that use canned pumpkin (not the pie filling - the pure stuff) and peanut butter etc. I like the idea since I eat on the run very often.

I don't think I have actually lost any weight yet though, but I did eat very well over the weekend. I've been trying to stick to the 'no eating after 7 pm' rule. So far, it has not been that bad.

Snowy

I just put the weather network on ... seems to be snowing everywhere. I don't mind a day like this - especially on a Saturday when I can choose to stay inside. It was really too cold and snowy for a run outside today so I made the rare change of doing my cardio workout at the gym. Just to relieve the sheer boredom of being inside, I used the eliptical machine, treadmill, bike and stairmill - each for 20 minutes or so. The stairmill I find the most difficult.

I made a quick stop by the video rental place and the grocery store. I've got a pot of chile in the slow cooker and a couple of movies just waiting to be watched.

It is really gorgeous outside. Best viewed from inside. Although I am dying to get out skiing. Not sure if the roads will be good for the drive to the ski resort tomorrow so I have decided if I can't ski tomorrow, I will take a ski day on Tuesday or Wednesday and go then. The ski season is so short and it's nice to get out when the conditions are wonderful.

More on Workouts

I had planned to go to the gym tonight ... it has almost become a habit again. But I took stock sometime this afternoon - there was not actually a muscle group I could work tonight - everything is sore today. So I took a night off and got caught up on some errands instead.

I think the 'core class' that I took last night at the community centre is responsible for my muscle soreness and fatigue today. Strangely enough, I did not think the class was difficult at the time - I even complained to a friend later that it may have been a waste of time - I said something about the classes at the community centre have to be 'light' enough for the general population. So today I am suitably humbled. The class was gentle but still effective. In reality I should know by know that every time you work your muscles in a different way, you get some benefit from it. The worst thing you can do is to always do the same old workout. Your body just gets far too used to it.

I treated myself to the new issue of Oprah's 'O Magazine'. In one article she outlined her 12 week diet & fitness plan that she is just about to start to lose the last 10 pounds standing between her and her goal. Wow. This is quite the exercise program. It sounds simple enough - but she has 8 workouts a week. The cardio portion increases by consistent, small amounts. These add up and by the end of the 12 weeks, it calls for an hour a day 5 times a week, 2 full hours once a week and two days a week there is a second workout. Not to mention weight training 6 times a week. That is some pretty serious time. I'm not sure that I could fit all that in - not in winter in any case since I still want to do the cardio outside. But if you can stick to a program like that you would definitely see results. Her most hardfast rule seems to be - no eating for the 3 hours before bedtime. I am trying that tonight - I am allowing myself only water. She said if you do that and nothing else you will lose weight - I suppose that's a combination of eliminating the 'snack from boredom' calories and not loading up on calories just before resting for the night.

It Was Just a Matter of Time

I knew Tigger & Clive would become great buddies sooner or later. Clive has been making a big effort to win Tigger over. Strange that what I thought was such a domineering cat would accept a new cat into his house so easily. It took Tigger a bit longer to decide. But we've had two break through moments this week. The other evening Clive jumped up on the chair where Tigger was sleeping. After testing the waters and not being hissed at, he settled in for a nap beside Tigger. They stayed curled up together for at least a half hour - until Tigger got down to chase something around. They have been playing together for a few weeks now - that actually took very little time. Tonight though Tigger actually licked Clive's face - the ultimate 'we're family now' sign. I'm so happy this has worked out. It is risky introducing a new animal into the house - and very upsetting if it doesn't work. Sad if you have to return an animal. If I can just get Tigger to stop crying at night! I think he is trying to convince me to get up and play with him - by morning, he has dragged several toys upstairs and I find them in the bed and on the floor.